[Thursday's Devotional] - THINK - is it Necessary?

THINK - is it Necessary?   Some things just don't need to be said.  Much of what we communicate is non-verbal, and sometimes we just don't have the right words to say?  Does the silence need to be filled?  Only when necessary!   There is a disputed quote (no source text has been found) which is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, which usually reads something like this:   Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.   It doesn't really matter who first said this, it is good advice.  Not that preaching is a bad thing, rather using our lives as an illustration of our beliefs – and of course, using words when appropriate.  Necessary words are to be spoken – sometimes it might be hard to say them, at other times it comes easily.  But unnecessary words, let them remain unsaid, lest we stray into the territory of "wittering".   Jesus made preaching the gospel one of his highest priorities, but he also knew when silence was the suitable response.   Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?"  But Jesus remained silent. Matthew 26: 62-63 [NIV]   Sometimes there is only one way to respond to people who are fond of their own voices. At other times there is nothing that can be said to make things move forward positively.       Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2016 St. Matthews & St. Oswalds Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthews & St. Oswalds Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!